Closure devices



Jan. 28, 1958 J. HUNGERLE CLOSURE DEVICES Filed March 10, 1955 TilINVENTORQ V JACK HUNGERLE United States Patent CLOSURE DEVICES JackHiingerle, Buchenberg, Kreis Villingen, near Konigsfeld, GermanyApplication March 10, 1955, Serial No. 493,513

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-305) The present invention relates to closure devicesfor collapsible tubes, bottles, flasks and similar containers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a closure device having aclosure member adapted to be fixed to and released from a neck portionof a container for closing and opening an orifice of the neck portion,wherein means are provided for holding the closure member when releasedon the neck portion, whereby to avoid loss of the closure member.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a closuredevice comprising a screW cap for closing and opening an orifice of aneck portion of a collapsible tube, a bottle, flask or the likecontainer, wherein the cap when unscrewed for opening the orificeremains attached to the neck portion.

It is another object of the invention to provide means for enabling thecap when unscrewed to be pivoted relatively to the neck portion so as toclear the orifice and to facilitate dispensing the contents of thecontainer through the orifice.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means for positivelyholding the cap in its pivoted position even if the container is held ina position in which the orifice extends downwards when dispensing thecontents of the container through the orifice.

It is still another object of the invention to provide means forfacilitating the initial assembling of the closure device.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art when reading the following detaileddescription of the invention in conjunction with the appended drawings,which are given by way of example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a first embodimentof the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section, of another embodimentof the invention;

Fig. 4 illustrates a section along the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 illustrates a section along the line 55 of Fig. 7 of a furtherembodiment of the invention, a screw cap being in its closing position;

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 5, but shows the screw cap in its openingposition; and

Fig. 7 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the embodiment ofFigs. 5 and 6.

The embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a container 1, which may be abottle, a flask or, preferably, a collapsible tube, having a generallycylindrical neck portion. A first part of the neck portion is providedwith external screw threads 4. A second part 2 of the neck portion hasan external diameter which is smaller than the external diameter betweenthe crests of the screw threads 4. In the embodiment illustrated, theexternal diameter of the part 2 substantially equals the diameterbetween the roots of the screw hreads 4. On the part 2, a holding ring 5is slidably and rotatably provided, which may be made of metal orplastics, and which has bearing holes 2,821,324 Patenteddan. 28, 1958 6engaged by internal studs 7 of lateral limbs 8 provided on a screw cap 3for closing and opening an orifice in the neck portion. By means of thestuds 7 engaging the holes 6, the cap 3 is pivotally held by the holdingring 5 when the cap is unscrewed from the screw threads 4, anunintentional removal of the holding ring 5 from the part 2 of the neckportion being prevented by the screw threads 4. In order to be ableinitially to pass the holding ring 5 across the screw threads 4 onto thepart 2 of the neck portion, the holding ring 5 is provided at its innerperiphery with a screw thread corresponding to the external screwthreads 4 of the neck portion so that the holding ring 5 can be screwedalong the screw threads 4 to pass the same. As can be seen from Fig. 2,the internal screw thread of the holding ring 5 is obtained by recessingan internally protruding ridge of the holding ring 5 as indicated at 9.

In the embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, the lateral limbs 8 are providedwith bearing holes, while the holding ring 5 has corresponding bearingstuds 7'. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the holding ring 5 is triangularin section at its internal periphery, the triangular section matchingthe external screw threads 4 of the neck portion so that the holdingring 5 can, again, initially be screwed along the screw-threads 4 topass the same.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2 as well as of Figs. 3 and 4 the screwcap 3 comprises a sealing disc 10 of the kind usually provided in suchscrew caps.

In order to prevent the holding ring 5 and therewith the cap 3 fromsliding along the neck portion 2 in a downward direction when the neckportion and the orifice of the container, for example of a collapsibletube containing a tooth paste, are directed downwards for dispensing thecontents of the container, means may be provided which prevent suchsliding of the holding ring and thereby ensure that the cap remainsclear of the orifice and does not impede the dispensing of the contentsof the container.

For this purpose, the embodiment of Figs. 5, 6 and 7 comprises a holdingring 5, which is made of a resilient material, especially of a resilientplastic material, and which is provided with cams 11 and 11' bearingagainst the lateral limbs 8 of the cap when the cap has been pivoted sothat by the pressure thus exerted the cap is secured in its pivotedposition shown in Fig. 6. In the embodiment shown, the cams 11 and 11are formed by providing recesses 12 in the outer wall of the holdingring 5 at the vicinity of the studs 7, the recesses 12 engaging thelateral limbs 8 when the cap 3 has been screwed onto the neck portion.When, however, the cap 3 is unscrewed and pivoted, the limbs 8 bearagainst the cams 11 or 11 (Fig. 6) and, owing to the pressure thusexerted on the inner surfaces of the limbs 8, turning of the cap underthe action of gravity is prevented by friction when the neck portion andthe orifice of the container are directed downwards. As can be seen fromFig. 5, the inner surfaces of the lateral limbs 8 are portions of acylinder surface corresponding to the outer periphery of the holdingring 5.

Of course the cams may be replaced by projections, and the cams orprojections may be provided on the inner surfaces of the lateral limbsof the cap instead of being provided on the holding ring.

It should be clearly understood that the embodiments hereinbeforedescribed with reference to the drawings are given by way of exampleonly, modifications, omissions and additions being possible withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closure device for containers comprising a discharge nozzle on thecontainer, said nozzle having an exteriorly threaded end portion and anadjacent smooth cylindrical portion of smaller diameter and of greaterlength than the said threaded portion; a retaining ring provided with aninterior circumferential bead, said bead having a notch thereacross toengageand .to pass over the said threaded end .portion of the nozzle andto permit said ring to turn on and slide along the said cylindricalportion thereof; and interiorly threaded cap fitting said threaded endportion of the nozzle and provided with two legs extending from said capin opposing positions outside and in axial direction of said nozzle; avpivotal connection between the ends of said legs and said retainingring permitting the said cap when unscrewed from the nozzle to be swungaside into a position not obstructing the discharge opening of thenozzle; and two recesses in the outer surface of said retaining ringextending in axial direction thereof and having convex cylindricalbottoms with the longitudinal axes of said cylindrical bottomscoinciding with the longitudinal axis of the nozzle; each of saidrecesses adapted to receive the end portion of one of said legs andprovided with outwardly slanted side faces cooperating with said legportion as locking or snapping means to hold the legs with the capattached thereto in outswung position after the cap has been unscrewedfrom the nozzle.

2. A closure device according to claim 1 wherein at least the endportions of the legs cooperating with said outwardly slanted side facesof the said recesses have a cylindrical inner surface having a diametersubstantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical bottom surfacesof the retaining ring recesses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

